Chapter 1616: This is no way to ask for a favor, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen!

1616. This is no way to ask for a favor, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen!

1616. This is no way to ask for a favor, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen!

Yang Deguang's face darkened.

Ever since he took the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he had been consciously purging the influence Xiao Jincheng left behind. He instinctively rejected any suggestion to follow Xiao Jincheng's methods or cultivate the connections Xiao Jincheng had left behind.

Furthermore, Chen Guanlou was merely a Jiang Jiang Yucheng of the Heavenly Prison.

Although he knew that this Jiang Jiang Yucheng was no ordinary one—backed by the Hou Fu, with hard-hitting connections and great methods—he still upheld the principle of not initiating contact.

Now that the other party had taken the initiative to send an invitation, it was obvious he had a favor to ask, and his subordinate was urging him to attend. He felt extremely uncomfortable.

He felt as if he were walking down Xiao Jincheng's old path, unable to escape the other man's shadow. It left him deeply dissatisfied.

He took a deep breath, trying his best to remain calm. "Take a guess, why would Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen invite me to drink?"

His subordinate ventured a guess, "It's likely for the case. Many people were arrested this time; it's possible there are a few people he knows among them."

"You told me before that the Imperial Prison and the Heavenly Prison have a tradition of friendly mutual assistance."

"Yes, that is indeed the case. The Imperial Prison's medical official is quite mediocre; he can only handle minor injuries. Prisoners who are on the verge of death generally cannot be saved. If it's an ordinary prisoner, it doesn't matter if they die. But if we encounter a prisoner with a special identity, and they die in the Imperial Prison, everyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guard will suffer the consequences. Take the eldest son of the Prince of Dongping, Song Shiyi, for example. At the time, his identity was merely that of a student from out of town, yet he nearly died in the Imperial Prison. It was only thanks to the Heavenly Prison's Medical Official Mu stepping in that he was rescued. Thinking back on that incident, it was truly perilous!"

The subordinate used this example to remind Yang Deguang that one never knew when they might encounter a second Song Shiyi.

Maintaining a good relationship with the Heavenly Prison was beneficial and harmless. Why insist on obsessing over Xiao Jincheng?

Yang Deguang grunted, noncommittal. "Can the Imperial Prison hire a medical official with better skills?"

The subordinate shook his head repeatedly; that was impossible.

"Medical Official Mu's situation is unique. His ancestors caused a disaster that led to many deaths, and he was terrified, so he refused to enter the Taiyi Academy and chose to be a prison medical official instead to avoid trouble. His medical skills are second to none in the world. A doctor with such skills would never settle for being a mere medical official."

This was the unvarnished truth.

The fact that the Heavenly Prison possessed Medical Official Mu was an absolute stroke of luck.

Yang Deguang felt stifled upon hearing this.

He stared at the invitation on the table. "Fine. Since he invited me to drink, I will indulge him. In the capital, having a wide network of connections does no harm."

"The Commander is wise!" The subordinate was overjoyed; he had finally managed to persuade him.

"Don't worry, Commander. Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen is a reasonable man as long as you don't touch his principles. He doesn't have the airs of an official and is more like a man of the Jianghu—he values loyalty. Being on good terms with him has no downsides."

"Are you asking me to suck up to Chen?"

The subordinate dared not speak further.

He feared that if he said more, it would be counterproductive.

Yang Deguang took a deep breath. "Fine, let's go."

That evening, Yang Deguang arrived right on time.

Chen Guanlou had spent a significant sum to charter a pleasure boat.

It couldn't compare to Xie Gechen's extravagance in chartering the most top-tier vessel.

He had chartered a mid-to-high-end boat, which was not cheap either. To host Yang Deguang, it showed sufficient sincerity.

The two met on the boat.

Chen Guanlou instructed the madam to have the girls use all their talents to ensure Commander Yang was well-served.

The music had to be moving, the dancing had to be moving, and the girls serving the wine had to be moving as well.

If there was even the slightest dissatisfaction, he would smash the boat to pieces.

The madam giggled. "It's not the first time Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen has come here. You know best whether my place is good or not. If you're truly dissatisfied, you won't need to smash it; I'll smash my own sign first."

"That delicate flower of yours, I don't like her. If you're going to serve someone, show some sincerity. If she tries to act coy in front of me, tell her to get lost as far as she can."

"Oh, Wenwen is new here; the little girl has a bit of a temper, which is normal. Others take it as a bit of fun, but Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen is always so picky. You really are hard to please." The madam took the opportunity to complain, half-jokingly.

Chen Guanlou put his arm around the madam's shoulder, acting like brothers, but his attitude was firm. "If someone like me is considered hard to please, are you blind?"

"Oh, it's my fault for saying the wrong thing, Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen, please forgive me. Shall I not have Wenwen come out tonight?"

"Wait! I don't like her, but Commander Yang might. Have her show her face, but warn her: no acting up."

"Commander, Wenwen is very well-behaved."

"Your word doesn't count. Get to work!" Chen Guanlou finally let go of the madam and let her leave.

"Commander Yang, you are a rare guest!"

Chen Guanlou greeted Yang Deguang warmly, signaling for the music and dance to begin, insisting they be moving!

If they weren't moving, he would kick them into the lake to get them moving!

"Jiang Jiang Yucheng Chen is too polite! This is my first time drinking flower wine on a pleasure boat!" Yang Deguang surveyed the surroundings; the girls on the boat were indeed a grade higher than those in the brothels. It was worth the high price.

"Commander Yang is self-disciplined; you are a role model for us all. I should learn from you! Come, I'll drink first as a sign of respect!"

The two toasted each other, arms around beautiful women, chatting about the wind, flowers, snow, and moon.

After testing the waters and feeling the atmosphere was right, Chen Guanlou dismissed the girls, leaving only the musicians to continue playing to set the mood and mask their conversation.

"Commander Yang, you must have guessed the purpose of my treat tonight."

"I have indeed guessed a little." Yang Deguang set down his wine cup and said solemnly, "If you want the Embroidered Uniform Guard to release the prisoners, I'm afraid I cannot agree."

Chen Guanlou waved his hands repeatedly, indicating the other party had misunderstood. "Not at all! I am also a man who works in criminal justice; I wouldn't make such an unreasonable request. It's like this: several fellow countrymen of Minister Sun were also arrested, supposedly implicated in this case.

They are all from out of town and don't know how deep the waters in the capital are. Being young and inexperienced, they were incited by others and followed the crowd, completely unaware of the danger. I am acting on behalf of my Minister to ask for a chance for these young people—to arrange for their transfer to the Heavenly Prison. I wonder if Commander Yang could give me some face?"

"Transfer?" Yang Deguang raised an eyebrow slightly. He had learned that the Imperial Prison and the Heavenly Prison seemed to have such transfer trades often.

"How to transfer? They are all suspects in the case, haven't been interrogated, and haven't been brought to court. How can they be transferred?"

"The Imperial Prison is overcrowded, and the weather is hot. To prevent an epidemic, we transfer some prisoners to the Heavenly Prison. How is that for a reason?" Chen Guanlou looked at the other party with a smile.

Yang Deguang's expression was clearly stunned; it seemed he hadn't expected the other party to have already thought of the reason, leaving him nothing to worry about.

"Is this how you used to trade with Commander Xiao?"

Chen Guanlou paused for a moment, then looked at the other party with a playful expression.

"Commander Yang seems very bothered by Xiao Jincheng? Are you trying to compete with him?"